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That was a really intense episode. So many styles in play, and we got to delve a bit into the mind behind all of them. Purely data driven vs fishing vs bowling/Harue's successor vs the power of yuri. In some ways, it kind of reminded me of Nodoka's match from the first series. Where she was so focused on the mechanics of the game that the tricks didn't work on her. Hiroko is similar, except instead of a natural flow (and penguin), it's deep analysis. These bonus episodes are really giving me a chance to see what Achiga can do in their native environment, because until the Teru match, things were kind of brief. Now everyone's getting their moment in the spotlight. I feel like the girls are getting more fleshed out.

1. The animation is incoherent at times (i.e. jumping around). I know they're just following the manga, but the problem is getting worse...
2. So, the Fukushou-sen more or less ends here. But then, with the original intention (3 extra episodes instead of 4), not a huge surprise.
3. Funa-Q evilness is animated pretty good, though, even with a new seiyuu (Kuroyukihime never sounds THIS evil, though...)
4. Unknown power of Shizu, Kodomo #2 in Awai, and 2 yuri (Toki x Ryuuka and Mairu x Himeko) coming up.
5. And did I mention that Seiko suck...全国最強www

In some ways, it kind of reminded me of Nodoka's match from the first series.

What do you know, I've gotten the same impression as well.

MairuHime = YumiMomo (The force of yuri is strong in this pair)
Hiroko = Touka (Sadistic freak and pervy obssession with their opponent)
Arata = Nodoka (The above's said partucular opponent. Whatever the above does doesn't work on them.)
Saiko = Sumiyo (Quite a decent player on her own. Too bad however, she got overshadowed by the rest of her opponents.)

EDIT: The announcer's voice is getting really horsey isn't she? That's what you'd get after all she had been screaming like a madman everytime player does something.

Animation quality seemed to drop down for this episode, and the pacing in some places got pretty rough. Still, though, it was a good episode which reached an appropriate high point for the conclusion. A counted yakuman for Shindouji in the second-last hand of the Captain's match--we're still waiting to see how that will turn out.

One of my favourite moments of this episode's corresponding chapter in the manga was Sera getting friendly with Ako once the game was over. Out of all of the potential yuri pairings Ritz has set up for Ako in this sidestory, AkoSera has got to be the hottest and the one with the most chemistry. I'm slightly disappointed that Crunchyroll's translation called Ako's reaction to Sera as being 'scared' rather than 'nervous', and that the anime didn't get to throw in Ako's internal thought of it feeling nice when Sera touched her, lol.

In any case, these two latest matches have really been all about the badass normal Aces. Sera had a point gain of a whopping +53000 (!!!) before being hit in dealer position by that finishing Yakuman. Even then, her final score (+37000), is one of the strongest performances in the entire tournament, and this is considering that Sera does not even have any powers.

On the other hand, with Shindouji's score as low as 35000, what Mairu managed to pull off is even more impressive. The point gain for her own performance (+41000 in total, after one last round in the next episode) is already incredible, doubling Shindouji's score to put them back into a fighting position. However, more significant than that is the precise fact that her and Himeko's ability guarantees that those gains of hers will be essentially doubled. Ryuuka, Shizuno, and even Awai, whose scores are essentially now hovering just above the 100,000 level, will have to seriously watch out.

Pretty good episode but it did feel a bit rushed. Love how cute Arata was when she was accepting the president's position from Harue . Also the anime totally brought out Hiroko's creepy facial expressions, i mean i know she was creepy in the manga but damn the anime took it to another level. And Hajime and Koromo looks awesome as well.

Very nice episode. I honestly found the pacing pretty good, all things considered. The Saki/Koromo scene seemed pretty random and oddly placed to me, but other than that, I felt this episode flowed well.

The Ako match ended as expected, which was fine. However, the scene between Ako and the very tomboyish competitor was a pleasant surprise for me.

The Arata match was very well-balanced, and I liked how everyone had their own specially animated attacks, with the exception of Research Girl who compensated for that with some of the funkiest faces I've ever seen.

I'm of two minds on the limit/bondage/key ability of those two girls. On the one hand, its certainly pretty creative and intricate and allows for some rather engaging bits of animation. OTOH, part of me can't help but think "Wow, they're really having to dig deep to come up with new mahjong superpowers at this point, aren't they?"

Its probably good that this is the semifinals for the Nationals, since they might be starting to run out of places to go when it comes to new mahjong superpowers.

Anyway, I like how the mighty Teru team is actually on the verge of slipping into 2nd place. That creates some compelling drama! That's quite the massive lead they've seen evaporate, and if I was Teru, I might be a bit pissed right now. It's made the rest of Teru's team seem a bit underwhelming compared to the hype, but I guess that was unavoidable for sheer math reasons after the massive lead Teru built up for her team.

That being said, this final member of Teru's team is certainly getting a lot of focus and build-up. I expect to see great things from her, and for her to ensure that Teru's team finishes this match in 1st place.

I'm of two minds on the limit/bondage/key ability of those two girls. On the one hand, its certainly pretty creative and intricate and allows for some rather engaging bits of animation. OTOH, part of me can't help but think "Wow, they're really having to dig deep to come up with new mahjong superpowers at this point, aren't they?"

If there's one thing I would like to know -- how did THAT power develop?

The animation was quite dodgy this time around, but other than that, everything was great. Everything was adapted very well, from Arata telling Harue she'll keep her beloved tie all the way to the finals (Arata sounded like the one with the pants on the relatonship, which is awesome), her flashback, FunaQ's crazy rape faces, and of course, Mairu's moment of total badassery (no fishing while I'm here!), and on that subject, is Mairu a total badass or what? It feels so good that no team is here as mere filler, it's a full on brawl!

Once again, we see that changing styles is the key to stay alive in the nationals, or at least, a very good thing to do if possible, and since Arata's ability is skill based instead of supernatural, she can do it with no problem, and pays a little tribute to her beloved Haru-chan while at it.

Next time, the supernova finally strikes!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple_R

I'm of two minds on the limit/bondage/key ability of those two girls. On the one hand, its certainly pretty creative and intricate and allows for some rather engaging bits of animation. OTOH, part of me can't help but think "Wow, they're really having to dig deep to come up with new mahjong superpowers at this point, aren't they?"

I think it should be the other way around. Why did it take them this long to create a power based on yuri love?

While on the subject, was anyone else impressed with how naughty Himeko's voice was during her... episodes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Anyway, I like how the mighty Teru team is actually on the verge of slipping into 2nd place. That creates some compelling drama! That's quite the massive lead they've seen evaporate, and if I was Teru, I might be a bit pissed right now. It's made the rest of Teru's team seem a bit underwhelming compared to the hype, but I guess that was unavoidable for sheer math reasons after the massive lead Teru built up for her team.

Totally agree with the drama part, it's nice to see a more free for all kind of competition rather than a struggle for second place. Also, Shiraitodai is still the final team boss, so you can't show them at full power yet, some conditions have to be against them, like harvest girl, who, according to Sera becomes the embodiment of death if she gets the last dealer position.